Battle of Drobeta
The Battle of Drobeta was fought in 271 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. The Roman Legio IV Pannonica assaulted the Roxolani village of Drobeta, reclaiming it after having lost it during the winter. The battle left the Roxolani king Eisgoudios and all of his army dead or captured, and the Roxolani were soon forced to sue for peace. Background The Roxolani tribe of the Danube frontier went to war with the Roman Empire in 270 AD, capitalizing on its internal strife to claim new lands and plunder. The Romans launched an early retaliation by sending Legio IV Pannonica to capture the Roxolani village of Drobeta in the interior of Dacia, and the poorly-defended village easily fell. The Roxolani king Meuakos, meanwhile, had led his army to attack the Roman provincial capital of Sarmizegetusa, but he and most of his soldiers were slain when Legio IV Pannonica relieved the garrison. The Roxolani again took advantage of the legion's movements when their new king, Eisgoudios, occupied Drobeta, which fell without a fight due to the lack of a garrison. Legio IV Pannonica once again marched to protect Rome's borders, assaulting Drobeta once more, and planning to slay another Roxolani king. Battle The Roman besieging arrmy was 1,219-strong, facing a smaller garrison of 912 warriors. The village was built atop a hill, with multiple passes leading to the village itself; the Roxolani intended on protecting the village and holding off any Roman assaults. The Roman general Pacuvius Atronius planned to assault the village from two sides: the bulk of the army, including all of its infantry, would launch a frontal assault on the village from the central slope, where most of the Roxolani warriors were positioned. Meanwhile, the Roman cavalry would charge up the eastern slope and around the Roxolani army, charging their vulnerable skirmishers. The two-pronged assault was highly successful, with the Roxolani warriors breaking after beginning to fight the heavily-armored and well-equipped Roman soldiers, and the Roxolani skirmishers being cut down where they stood by the Roman cavalry. Roman forces surged into the village from two sides, and even the Roxolani spearmen - who would usually be able to easily defeat cavalry - were demoralized and forced to flee as they were charged by the Roman cavalry. The Roxolani forces broke, and 852 of them were killed, while 127 of them were captured. Aftermath Once again, the Roxolani lost their king, who was slain during the Roman assault. The Roxolani, deprived of another ruler and another army, feared that the Romans would press on to their homeland, so they decided to sue for peace. Atronius was not intending to push the Roman Empire beyond defensible borders, and he decided against attacking the Roxolani in their homeland; however, the Romans were very willing to make peace with the Roxolani, securing a large portion of their border. This allowed for Legio IV Pannonica to focus on battling the invading Quadi and Buri in Pannonia to the northwest. Category:Crisis of the Third Century Category:Battles